Inertia-powered air circulator



March 25, 1941. R, ALLER INERTIA-PQWERED AIR CIRCULATOR Filed Dec. 9, 1938 Patented Mar. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INERTIA-POWE-RED AIR CIRCULATOR Edmund R. Aller, Gary, Ind., assignor to General American Transportation Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New York Application December 9, 1938, Serial No. 244,838

4 Claims. (Cl. 98-6) My invention relates to an improved inertiavention is adapted. The car contains the usual operated mechanism for circulating air in a railice bunkers B at the ends, the space in between way refrigerator car, or other carrier, which is the bunkers being used for the goods being carsubject to irregular movements when in motion. ried. To illustrate the manner in which these My invention is especially adopted for use in devices may be distributed Within the car, one or 5 freight cars or other carriers for perishable goods more of these devices C may be placed beneath in which either refrigeration or heat is provided, each of the ice bunkers with their air outlet or and its purpose isto maintain a more uniform discharge ends directed towards the center of the temperature throughout the body of the car by car to stimulate circulation of the colder air from promoting or stimulating the circulation of air the locality of the ice bunkers along the floor towithin the car. wards the center. Several of these devices may While in motionin atrain, arailway car is subbe supported from the ceiling of the car with ject to Various parasitic vibrations and pulsatheir outlets directed towards the bunkers so that tions caused by irregularitiesin the track, wheels their effect will be uni-directional and cumulaout of round, wheels with fiat spots, bufiing and tive, thus stimulating the circulation of the draft pulsations, and other causes. The car is warmer air in the upper portion of the car tothus subjected to a reasonably constant oscillawards the bunkers. Thus the devices stimulate tion, vertical and in other directions, which peror increase the natural circulation set up by consists to an appreciable degree even when snubbing vection, resulting in a more uniform distribution 0 devices are used on the trucks. This oscillation of temperature throughout the interior of the 0 is the source of power utilized in the mechanism car compartment. If the car is heated, for inherein disclosed. stance, by charcoal burners placed in the bunkers,

The primary object of my invention is to prothen the air circulator devices can be reversed to vide an improved air-circulating mechanism opdirect air circulation in the opposite direction to erated by the inertia of a part of the mechanism that shown in Fig. 1. with respect to the irregular movements of a rail- The individual structure shown in the drawway car above described. By means of my ining involves generally two rectangular plates or vention a more rapid circulation of air is provanes l and 2 in hinged relation somewhat after moted than now exists by natural convection. the manner of the leaves of a book in the sense 00 Still another object is to provide an air-circuthat they are movable relatively to each other lating device which is readily portable and Wholly from parallel relation to an angular relation, so self-contained in one unit of the car so that one that as they move towards each other the air is or more of the devices may be positioned within expelled from between them and as they move the car in manner most effective to stimulate air apart air is drawn in between them ready for the circulation. next expelling impulse. 35

These and. other objects are attained by the In the present structure the lower plate I is construction more fully described hereinafter in the member connected with, or in direct associconnection with the accompanying drawing ation with, the car structure and thus responsive which illustrates the preferred embodiment of to the oscillations thereof. The device may be 40 my invention. v simplyplaced upon the floor of the car or it may 40 In the drawingbe supported from the ceiling, as shown in Fig, 1, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, vertical section, more so that it moves as a unit or whole directly with or less conventional, of a refrigerator railway car th'vibrations or oscillations of the car. The up illustrating the several inertia-powered air-circuper plate 2 is the inertia member which tends,

lating mechanisms embodying my invention disbecause of its inertia, to resist movement im- 45 tributed around the interior of. the car; i parted to it by the housing. The parts are en- Fig.. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of my cased in a casing which is formed by the side inertia-powered air circulator; walls 3, a top wall 4, and a rear wall D.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view In the structure shown, the side walls extend on the line 3--3 of Fig.2; and upwardly from the side margins of the lower Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on line plate and are preferably arranged so that the 4-4 of Fig. 3. clearance between these walls and the margins The refrigerator car A shown in Fig. 1, is inor the inertia member plate 2 is just sufiicient to tended to be representative of the class of .cars permit free movement of the member 2 and at or carriers for use in which the device of my inthe same time to reduce to a minimum the pas- 55 sage of air therebetween. The top Wall 4 is formed so that it inclines or is beveled generally downwardly from the rear end to the discharge end of the device, and also from the center portion to the side walls. This construction is provided so as to protect the device from damage by deflecting falling pieces of ice or other objects which may strike the top wall. Likewise this top wall formation effectively drains off Water or brine which may drip from ice bunkers above.

The casing forms an air inlet chamber 5 above the inertia vane 2. i his chamber is provided with an air inlet 6 at its rear end which, in the present case, is formed by making the rear wall in two sections divided horizontally. The upper section I is vertical. The lower section 8 is inclined inwardly at a relatively sharp angle with respect to the floor or plate I. The upper portion of the casing thus overhangs the lower section 8 of the rear wall so that the air inlet 6 lies in a horizontal plane and air is entered therethrough from below and at the same time water dripping on the device is drained away from the outlet and prevented from entering the interior of the mechanism.

The forward end of the casing is open to provide a discharge outlet 9. The angle of the lower section 8 of the rear wall with respect to the plate I forms a suitable bearing or fulcrum I 0 for the rear edge or margin of the inertia member 2 into which it is set. Thus a simple pivotal or hinge connection is provided by which the movement of the lower plate is imparted to the inertia member, and which is less likely to be affected by corrosion.

Since the plate member 2 is relatively thin and light in weight and of considerable area, and is more in the nature of a fan or vane effective to displace a considerable volume of air, it does not possess suflicient inertia for the purpose. In order, therefore, to increase the inertia of the member whereby to develop sufiicient power, I add considerable weight to the plate 2. This weight is in the form of a transversely disposed block !I of metal which is attached to the upper side of the plate and is disposed close to the ful crum of the plate so that the device is rendered sensitive to very small vertical movements because of the multiplying leverage effect relative to the length of the plate. For instance, a half inch relative movement of the weight will result in an inch and a half to two inches of movement of opposite or forward end of the plate I. An elastic member I2, preferably in the form of a coiled spring or a rubber member, is connected at one end to an eyelet I 3 near the forward end of the plate I and at its other end to an anchor I5 at the rear end of the casing. This elastic member is preferably arranged to be just suflicient to slightly more than overcome the weight so that it normally tends to hold the plates apart or returns the plate 2 to an upper position after each relative downward stroke of the plate I. The top wall of the casing serves as a stop for the forward edge of the plate I. This forward margin I4 of the plate member I terminates short of the end of the casing, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3, so that while the plate I is separated from the top wall of the casing a passage is formed which provides communication between the upper chamber 5 of the casing and the pump chamber I5 below the member I.

In operation, as the lower plate member I and the casing are carried upwardly by the car in response to the vertical oscillation of the car,

the inertia developed in the weight II causes a relative movement of the plates I and 2 toward each other, thus causing the air between the plates to be expelled or forced out through the outlet end 9 of the casing. As the plates move apart in response to the spring I2 and the downward movement of the car, air will again be drawn in between the plates, mainly from the upper chamber 5 around the forward margin I4 of the plate member I, the flow of air entering the intake 6 at the rear end of the device and leaving casing at the forward discharge opening 9 which will be uni-directional, and thus give to the device the advantage of a valve type of pump without the necessity for valves. The series of impulses given to the air, added to the natural convection, stimulates the circulation of air and thus serves to distribute the temperature more uniformly in the interior of the car.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the construction, arrangement, and operation of the various parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I contemplate such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an inertia-powered air circulator of the class described, the combination of a vane subject to the oscillations of the car, an inertia member including a vane pivotally related to said first-mentioned vane and movable toward and from the same for impelling air from between said vanes, a housing for directing the impelled air from one end and having an outlet opening substantially equal in width to the range of movement of said vane, said housing forming an air inlet chamber above said movable vane and having an air inlet opening for said chamber at its end opposite the outlet opening, an elastic member connected to said inertia member and saidhousing, and acting to overcome the weight of said inertia member sufiiciently to move the iner tia member vane away from said other vane.

2. In an inertia-operated, portable, self-contained air ci-rculator of the class described, the combination of a housing having a bottom wall with an air outlet opening at one end adjacent said bottom wall, and an air inlet opening at the opposite end, a vane within said housing pivotally related close to said bottom wall at the rear end of said housing and having its forward end adjacent said outlet opening and adapted when moved relatively toward said bottom wall to expel air from between said vane and bottom wall, a weight carried by said vane adjacent to its pivotal end for imparting inertia to said vane, and an elastic means yieldingly acting on said vane to overcome the weight sufficiently to hold the vane separated from said bottom wall.

3. In a self-contained, portable, inertia-operated air circulator of the class described, the combination of a housing having a bottom wall, and side Walls, and a top Wall overhanging a portion of the bottom wall to form an upwardly directed air inlet at its rear end, and having an air outlet opening at its forward end, said top wall being beveled towards its side and end walls to drain water from said top'wall and deflect objects falling upon said top wall, and means within said housing acting to expel air from said outlet opening when the housing is subjected to oscillations of the car in which the device is used.

4. An air-circulating means to be operated by the irregular vertical movements of a railway car when in motion, comprising a housing supported by said car and having a bottom wall, a movable plate within said housing, one end of said plate being hingedly attached to said housing, a weight fastened upon said movable plate close to said hinge end, a spring attached to said movable plate at the end of said plate opposite the hinged end, said spring being also attached to the housing so as to support flexibly the movable plate spaced from said bottom wall, said housing having an opening at one end for the intake of air on the side of the movable plate to which the spring is attached and the discharge of air from the opposite side of said movable 5 plate.

EDMUND R. ALLER. 

